Blogs from Karratha, Western Australia, Australia, Oceania

Millstream Chichester National Park to Karratha/Dampier. Half an inch of rain overnight and things rather wet, continuing to fall. No rain has fallen in the Pilbara for 15 months. Millstream Chichester National (240,000ha) is a landscape of rolling spinifex hills, spectacular escarpments and winding tree watercourses. A lush oasis exists around the Millstream Wetlands and Fortescue River, including palm trees. Leaving our camp around 8am we investigated the Millstream Homestead Visitor Centre. The Homestead features rooms dedicated to the Yindjibarndi people, the early settlers and the natural environment. A very wealthy cattle station in its prime, manicured lawns, gardens, swimming pool, tennis court and staff. Here we met the Park Ranger who informed us if we did not leave for Karratha soon the road would be closed and we would be stuck in Millstream. Straight back ... read more

Hi travel followers. After almost another week (the days just seem to disappear) we thought it was time to post the latest travel blog on what we have been up to and where we have been. Picking up from where we left off in Broome, we spent a couple of more days there heading down to the point to view the Dinosaur foot prints (at very low tide) on the rocks. I must say it is extraordinary that they have survived the ravages of the sea. The following day we did a whale watching and sunset cruise and what an excellent day it was as we have never done one before. Large amounts of whales including a mother whale teaching her calf how to "breach". What a demonstration it was. The calf just kept breaching time ... read more

What sort of alarm clock do you use? Since retiring the electronic ever reliable has gone and we have a variety of alarms these days, often feathered and quite unreliable, but now preferred. However, wake up has other implications as well seen around Dampier, a port with incredible output, but one wonders at the downside of such progress. When we first arrived here we were booked into a low cost camp on the foreshore at Dampier, about 25 ks from Karratha. The harbour is quite pretty yet industrially dominated. They say that 25% of Australia's goods (by value) are exported through this port - Iron ore, LPG, salt and fertilizer. Karratha is WA's second most busy airport including some international flights. Take the iron ore bulk carriers - they average 200,000 tonnes of ore per ship, ... read more

Geo: -20.7367, 116.846On our way to a free camp we called in to see Karratha. My goodness is that place thriving. There is so much building and construction of roads going on. We have noticed all the houses up this way don't have any gutters. Too much water. Karratha is now a stones throw from Dampier as they have built a dual lane freeway to connect the 2 towns.Karratha has a huge port and a large mining community.Dampier is such a pretty little town and is the home to the Red Dog statue. It has a huge port and out in the bay is an island which looks like paradise from the distance. Apparently a man built a castle there and lived on the island until he died and is now buried there. You can take ... read more

Karratha/Dampier 20th May The towns and areas surrounding Karratha have a European history that dates back to 1699 when William Dampier first sailed into the Archipelago aboard his ship the Roebuck, landing at Pirates cove on Enderby Island. Another new town in WA, Karratha was established in the late 1960’s to serve the requirements of major local industrial projects, such as Pilbara Iron, Dampier Salt and later Woodside’s North West Shelf Gas Ventures. Karratha derives its name from an aboriginal word meaning ‘good country’. With a population of around 12,000 everything looks new and ‘ growing’ and appeared as a busy modern town that could provide all necessary services and industrial support to service the mining industry and community that has developed around them. Karratha is considered the shopping hub of the Pilbara and we visited ... read more